What a creepy photo of Mark Zuckerberg says about our dystopian tech future (Washington Post- Commentary)
“In the age of advanced technology,” wrote the media theorist Neil Postman, “spiritual devastation is more likely to come from an enemy with a smiling face.”
Foursquare’s Potentially Game-Changing New Tool Can Measure Foot Traffic Generated by Digital Ads (Ad Week)
Foursquare is now in the offline sales attribution game. The social/location discovery platform is going after retail marketing budgets and promising to connect digital ads—and not just Foursquare ads, but those from across the Web and mobile apps—with actual visits to physical stores.
Smith: Spectrum’s Higher, Better Use Is Still Broadcasting (Broadcasting & Cable)
National Association of Broadcasters president Gordon Smith says that while viewers may like to catch a movie on Netflix or Amazon, when they want to catch a child abductor or be alerted to dangerous weather, they won’t get it from video streaming services hungry for more bandwidth.
Connected TV To Grow 17%, Chromecast Has Big Plans For 2016 (Media Post)
Connected TV usage will continue to climb in the coming years — growing 17% this year and 11% in 2017. Gaming connected consoles will still command the most users — 54.3 million, according to eMarketer, a 5.1% improvement from a year ago.
Does the FCC Want to Postpone the Incentive Auction?( Communications Law Blog)
Pretty much since the FCC set out on its headlong race to design and implement the upcoming Incentive Auction, one of the Prime Directives appears to have been to get the thing done as quickly as possible. Publicly, the Commission appears determined to proceed full speed ahead, but a couple of FCC pleadings suggest otherwise.
Most Americans support the FBI over Apple, Pew study finds (Network World)
Most Americans think that Apple should help the FBI unlock a smartphone used by one of the terrorists in the San Bernardino mass shooting, according to a study released Monday by the Pew Research Center. The finding reflects a tendency in the US to prioritize national security over civil liberties.
Transforming America’s Mobile Life (Inside Sources- Commentary)
As the leaders of the global telecom business meet for the Mobile World Congress, the hype around the next generation of mobile networking will be as deafening as a heavy metal rock show. The new technology – known as 5G – promises to be the most significant advance in mobile since the cell phone was invented in the 1960s.
INTERNET AFFORDABILITY (Alliance For Affordable Internet)
Everyone should have access to the Internet. So concluded the 193 member states of the UN when they agreed on a new set of Sustainable Development Goals in September. Underscoring the potential of the Internet to contribute to global development and empowerment, SDG calls for universal and affordable access.
GOOGLE-HUNTSVILLE COULD REMAKE MARKET (Brookings- Commentary)
The announcement that the municipally-owned electric utility in Huntsville (AL) will lease its fiber lines to Google could transform how municipalities provide broadband access. What makes the Huntsville news potentially transformative is that the service provider is Google Fiber.
WHEN COMCAST’S BUSINESS AS USUAL TURNS OUT TO LIMIT MINORITY ACCESS (Backchannel- Commentary)
Late in Jan, CTC Technology & Energy, an independent consulting firm that had been retained by the state of Connecticut, released a report that included some shocking stories about business connectivity in Hartford, the capital of the state. Connecticut has the highest per capita income of all fifty states.
China Unveils Tough Controls on Foreign Media Activities (Variety)
China is dramatically increasing its restrictions on foreign media operations in the country. Foreign-owned media or joint ventures in China will not be able to publish online without prior approval. The ban, which takes effect as of March 10, covers text content, video, maps, games, digital books, art and literature.
Justice Department Seeks to Force Apple to Extract Data From About 12 Other iPhones (Wall Street Journal)
The Justice Department is pursuing court orders to force Apple Inc. to help investigators extract data from iPhones in about a dozen undisclosed cases around the country, in disputes similar to the current battle over a terrorist’s locked phone, according to people familiar with the matter.
TV Ads Drive Earned Media on Twitter, Says New Nielsen Study (Pro Max BDA)
By now, most of us probably had an inkling that social media can turn TV viewers into brand advocates, and now a new Nielsen study has confirmed our suspicions while also honing in on how that connection unfolds.